Resilience Resources Influencing Coping Strategies Adopted among Transferred Nigeria Police Officers

Abstract

Relocation is an inherent aspect of the professional life of Nigeria police officers, often necessitated by the demands of maintaining law and order. This article explores the coping strategies adopted by transferred Nigeria police officers to deal with relocation stress, emphasising the role of resilience resources in shaping these strategies. It draws from existing literature and empirical research to shed light on the factors that contribute to the successful adaptation of officers facing the challenges of relocation. 394 transferred police officers were administered with measures of hardiness, optimism and the Brief COPE inventory. Based on regression path analyses the findings suggest that resilience resources inform the adoption of adaptive and problem-focused coping strategies; while decreasing the use of avoidant and emotion-focused coping strategies used to deal with relocation stress. The need for interventions focused on resiliency training, teaching of self-efficacy and problem-solving skills for transferred/posted/deployed police officers is underscored. The limitations of the study are also highlighted.